Lime Rendering Job - Help Needed

[Scottish_Borders]

Hello, new to this forum but looking for some advice from people who know more than us! We have a 250+ year old property and we are looking to remove crumbling rendering and re-rendering with lime to allow the property to breath and help with dampness. We are about to commit to starting but the quote for the work seems really expensive when comparing to what seems to be the going rate on the online resources. I was hoping someone could take a look at this quote and see if it is reasonable before we commit as I don't want to be ripped off! If it seems fair then we would be happy to commit, they are well regarded stone masons and have been easy to deal with thus far. Many thanks in advance.

 

[aockenden]

Holy crap, it’s only 4 walls… is this a huge rectangular / square house? What’s the square footage of the internal rooms? You’re paying them to remove the existing render which can be done yourself without much prior knowledge and only a hundred quid of tools if you need to cut costs.

There’s also a couple items on that list which make me nervous… what’s this “pre bagged roughcast with added pigment” stuff? That sounds an awful lot like modern bumpy cement junk they slather buildings with these days.

Assuming that stuff actually IS a true lime product without any cement, I’m still left wondering why they aren’t mixing their own lime render on site from bags of lime and sand? You’ll be paying a premium for pre-mixed stuff.

 

[aockenden]

I just googled it, I guess it’s probably this which actually looks good.

Masons Mortar: Your Trusted Mortar Solutions

Experience top-quality mortars for masonry projects, crafted by industry experts. Discover our range and get started today!

masonsmortar.co.uk

I still expect it’s more expensive than just mixing your own on-site.

 

[a twig]

When you look at the work involved, full scaffold, removing old and taking it away then essentially applying three coats it’s not a bad deal for (if my maths is correct) 242m2 of wall

Works out £80 per m2 per “coat” which is towards the low end of what you pay for re-pointing / re-rendering in lime these days

 

[lizziecupcakes]

is this for external rendering? Is your home brick and mortar under the crumbling render?

I read that internal lime plastered walls is more effective as there’s too many external elements (weather mainly) that can damage external rendering over time.

My mortar is mainly modern cement and I intend to have a stone mason use lime in the future. That’s where the house breathes through.

I’m sorry if I misread your post, but just incase… isn’t it better to lime plaster internally (on external walls) and just use lime mortar on the outside? You could remove the crumbling render yourself and clean the brick walls. You might find your mortar is already lime based.

 

[alexander]

the thing that worries me about this quote is they are not using lime render but modern render, the only thing mentioned in the quote is lime mortar as a scratch coat & it should really be a three coat system.
good luck

 

[a twig]

the thing that worries me about this quote is they are not using lime render but modern render, the only thing mentioned in the quote is lime mortar as a scratch coat & it should really be a three coat system.
good luck

The quote states that it’s three coats?

Prick up, scratch then the top coat?

The masons mortar looks to be NHL based so pretty normal for an external render

 

[Pbmanque]

I'm in South Edinburgh, house roughly the same age as yours. 18 months ago I was quoted £155 per sq M to remove cement harling, reharl with lime harl and 3 coats limewash. Plus scaffolding, prelims etc, plus VAT. So in the same ball park. In the end we were advised not to remove the harling (most of which was very well adhered) so afraid I can't advise on outturn v quote.